The latest issue of Wired magazine describes how people with round-the-clock gigs (like astronauts and sailors) manage to get by on two hours of sleep per day. Studies by the Chronobiology Research Institute recommend getting your Z's in short bursts:

The most time-efficient strategy, dubbed the überman (what else?), calls for a 20-minute nap every four hours... The first seven days of deprivation will be sheer misery, but stay on track. Once you start dreaming during naps—a sign you've hit REM—you'll begin to feel better.

Yikes! A hardier blogger who didn't love to sleep as much as I do might actually try this out. I love you people, but seven days of misery is too much. (Wired warns that this isn't intended to be a permanent lifestyle change, and long-term effects of this schedule are unknown.) See also our top 10 ways to sleep smarter and better.